Managing people is a difficult subject but one we are all too familiar with regardless of where we reside on the ladder of responsibility. I went sailing the other day and reflected upon this topic while doing so.
Suppose we are on a sailing ship and the wind is coming perpendicular to the direction we’re moving. If we ease our sail too much, a portion of the sails’ surface area is going to be wasted, which is keeping us from reaching maximum velocity. Conversely, if we trim the sail too much, a portion of our momentum is going to be wasted on pushing us sideways instead of pushing us forward.
A golden rule of sailing is to ease the sail until it begins to flap loosely (called luffing) and then trim it just enough for it to stop luffing. An inexperienced sailor will opt to trim too much, at the cost of performance. It takes experience to realize just how far the easing can be taken, in order to find the optimal trim.
Just as in sailing, where the right amount of trimming is crucial, in management, finding the right balance between oversight and autonomy is key. A bad manager might micromanage tasks, requiring constant updates, which stifles creativity and slows progress. In contrast, a good manager sets clear goals and checkpoints but allows the team to determine the best way to achieve them.
Now, the other extreme has just as meager implications, easing the sail too much can mean that no progress is achieved – or the progress that is achieved is of low quality. I’m not saying team members are some descendants from the kingdom of heaven, that always make the right choice and always have the best of intentions. Slackers exist, disingenuity exist and people exhibiting these traits will exploit a manager affording them too much freedom.
However, the best managers are the ones that can trim the sail just enough relative to the specific dynamics of a team. This requires a high degree of emotional intelligence and an ability to accurately assess that teams' qualities and shortcomings.
And it requires trust. Trust is a key motivator, trust affords team members the responsibility of owning their decisions, owning their work which in turn can make them even more diligent, thorough, and as a function of time, effective.
Finding this balance is hard and scary. If it all fails, who’s likely to be held responsible? The manager. That fear is probably one of the reasons, why so many managers opt to have a tight grip without realizing they are enabling the exact thing they wanted to avoid: a demotivated, ineffective team scared of making any decisions, let alone difficult ones.
I cherish working under great managers. They’ve allowed me to explore on my own, to make mistakes but trusted me to learn from those mistakes in order for me to land on even better solutions. But they have also kept me in check, if I veered too far off course. They know when to trim the sail just enough to ensure we reach the destination on time and with quality work to show for it.